25 best albums from 2007

Alright everyone here it is! My list of the best albums of 2007. This year was pretty interesting for music, it felt better than last, and for some reason i feel myself moving farther and farther away from hip hop which pretty much sucks but yeah here it is! i have included a very shortlist of lists from my friends describing what they thought was the best stuff from 2007. So get a cup of coffee or a stiff drink and open your eyes and check this shit out!


thanks to everyone who contributed, no thanks to the lazy bums who didnt, just kidding i still love you too.



THE BEST OF 2007!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!








#1: Panda Bear-Person Pitch(paw tracks)

This album is incredibly beautiful. Beautiful in it's construction, beautiful in it's execution, beautiful in it's lyrics, and beautiful in it's instrumentation. The melodies and harmonies swell and dip all around the listener. In the liner notes it mentions that he listened to Enya (among many other artists) when he made the album. I can see this influence coming in very clear. Everything does have this new agey kind of haze to it on this album, everything is covered in this very pleasing gauze, even the distracting or loud noises inserted here and there seem to have a pleasant quality to them. The lyrics are very hard to decipher,for the most part,on this album so giving a read to the lyric sheet on his myspace is a definate rewarding experience. This music is like 60s psychedelia revisited perfectly for the 2000s. It's like taking Brian Wilson's initial inspiration and focusing it for the future, if the Beach Boys were making relevant music for right now i would like to think this might be what it would sound like, so in my mind this is the best Beach Boys album they didnt make. It captures the sunny and the sad, the celebratory and the depressed, it talks about love and longing in a way I havent heard since Pet Sounds, so thank you Noah Lennox for making the best album of the year and one of the best albums I have ever heard. Thank you for the inspiration.





#2: Pissed Jeans-Hope For Men(sub pop)

By far the most intelligently angry album on this list. The entire thing is one big ball of cynical cathartic heavy rock that borders on noisy soundscapes. They sing songs about ice cream, shit on yuppies, shit on joggers, describe their rooms, detail fantasy worlds we create for ourselves, and the singer has time to sarcastically tell us how much of a "people person" he is. This is some of the most theraputic music for anyone who just gets sick and tired of everything work,school and people related. Get ahold of this if you want to let off some steam on the way to or driving away from your shit ass job in this awful working world. Oh and I have no idea why subpop signed them.





#3: Battles-Mirrored(warp)

They perfected robot rock. Queens of the stone age had a somewhat more organic approach to this kind of thing but Battles just upped the technological quotient and made true robot rock. Almost everything on this album was treated with some sort of effect but the drums stayed pretty unaffected, which gave it this weird natural anchor to the sound, the vocals sounded like the Chipmunks, the guitars were all over the place and in some places echoed looney tunes style orchestration. The bass was all wobbly and nuts the whole time, where all this should have sounded clinical and robotic and shitty and unemotional it instead felt completely human.




#4: Animal Collective-Strawberry Jam(domino)

I feel its almost a bit unfair that these guys have made it in my top 10 every year they released an album, I mean I should give newer artists maybe more of a chance, but damn if they dont happen to just release some of the most mind twistingly beautiful music I have ever heard. This is pysche rock done right for a new generation of music listeners who take the time to enjoy this kind of shit. They put on a horribly disappointing live show this year but still this album is excellent and it contains my favorite song of the year "Derek" about a little "white and black sheltie" this shit is fucking excellent!



#5: Qui-Love's Miracle(ipecac)

David Yow is back? Wait David Yow is fucking back??!? Yes he is kids and he joined an already existing band called Qui, they were a duo from LA with a singing drummer, havent so much as checked out their old shit but I was on top of this new shit and I cant say it wasnt because of Mr. Jesus Lizard himself. This music to me is the perfect musical evolution of the Jesus Lizard. It basically sounds just like Jesus Lizard with a few new tricks up their sleeve, this is angular hard rock with a somewhat loose feel to the whole thing. It sounds like they had a lot of fun making it. This band put on the best live shows I saw this year by miles. There was blood, fighting, removal of clothing, more fighting, drinking, harassing, you name it. These guys fucked shit up in 2007.




#6: Dizzee Rascal-Maths and English(xl)

Dizzee Rascal is the shit. This new album of his is the shit. It's a shame it wasnt even released on cd in the U.S. Ironically this is his most commercial sounding album. It takes influences from mainstream hip hop, gangsta rap, and U.S. modern hip hop/dance tracks. Bun B and Pimp C. of UGK make awesome cameos and so does Lily Allen and the dude from the Arctic Monkeys(which is kind of so-so). All in all this is a really forward thinking should've been mainstream hip hop album and a shame it was pretty much slept on due to horrible distribution choices.




#7: Von Sudenfed-Tromatic Reflexxions(domino)

What do you get when you mix one of post punk's most unusual voices and one of the most influential and crazy modern electronic acts? You get this, a crazy mix of drunken slur/singing over some of the best experimental dance music since Mouse on Mars' last album. Everything is catchy yet odd at the same time, you can kind of dance to it, you can kind of sing along to it, and you can definately listen to it with a critical ear. The music basically sounds like a more intelligent and interesting LCD soundsystem with your drunken grandpa ranting over it.




#8: Clockcleaner-Babylon Rules(load)

I cant say too much about this album, I already reviewed it on this site but what I can say about it is that it is one of the best straight ahead rock records of the year and it's catchy as hell and dark and the lyrics are lewd. The music is very bass heavy with lots of noise and a singer who jumps around from sounding like Nick Cave to Lux from the Cramps to the guy from 80s matchbox b line disaster. Check out the review on the site if you want a more detailed description.





#9: Justice-Cross(vice)

All I can say is that this is the best dance album of the year and it would have been higher on the list if it werent for 2 tracks. D.A.N.C.E. is pretty mediocre to me, it's good but it still drives me nuts and the 8th track with the girl singing about "getting drunk and freaky fried" that to me is some of the worst shit this year. Yet, every other song is a gem, the best description I can think of is Daft Punk if they used noise music as an influence, catchy yet noisy in all the right places, reminds me a lot of the Chemical Brothers "Dig Your Own Hole" which was a classic and this isnt but it sounds damn good!




#10: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah-Some Loud Thunder(self released)

I love this album because it was everything everyone hoped it wouldnt be except the few who thought this band had more tricks up their sleeve then they led us to believe. I knew from interviews this band took the same musical stance as Liars(never stand still and by all means never compromise your sound for something other than the band). The opening song is a blast of catchy indie rock filtered through the worst recording possible(it makes it sound like your speakers have blown out) and from then on out it's basically an excellent indie rock record filtered through crap, and by crap I mean weird production techniques, odd noises in the middle of songs that would make it on the radio if only there werent any of those "weird noises" kinda deal. Everything is overblown and recorded in the red yet it has this dreamy hazy quality to it and it pretty much pissed off everyone who bought the first album because it was "fun and dancy" well fuck them, this album is great, difficult yet great.




#11: Prinzhorn Dance School-Self Titled(dfa)

This album was an exercise in minimalism. It's 2 people, drums and bass, dual boy/girl vocals. This shit is so minimal it makes wire sound like a 15 piece orchestra. These kids actually go to art school and it shows from the song structure to the lyrics and even the album art. The lyrics work on a completely word association type structure; meaning they dont mean shit but to each person who thinks about it they do. Kind of like the kills mixed with a very cynical white stripes mixed with something post punk like young marble giants or the raincoats. Oh and it's the only good thing the DFA put out this year.



#12: HEALTH-Self Titled(lovepump united)

This band sounds like Lighting Bolt mixed with The Boredoms and "Drum's Not Dead" era Liars. There are not a whole lot of vocals and when they are there it's mostly chanting or screaming. The album is very heavy with cavernous drums and lots of effects pedals(especially the memory man). It's pretty much just really well done artsy post punk, very exciting and interesting at every turn.




#13: The Avett Brothers-Emotionalism(ramseur records)

I used to really like Alt Country a lot and then i kind of got over it because it started getting either too stale or too out there(wilco is guilty of both) but this album was a breath of fresh air, on the surface it might sound corny or too radio friendly but it really accomplishes this weird sense of honesty in the songwriting and the lyrics. Not a whole lot of people will like this and even more might think i am crazy for putting it on my list, but this is just a really pleasant album to listen to, oh and banjo is the lead instrument!




#14: Magik Markers-boss(ecstatic peace)

Magik Markers used to be a straight up noise band with a girl screaming all over the chaos. Now they are a 2 piece of that screaming girl and a dude drummer and they sound like the kills mixed with Kim Gordon's vocal songs with Sonic Youth mixed with a bit of Royal Trux. The drums are actually better than all 3 of those bands though but her voice isnt as distintive as the 3 but this is damn good blues influenced noise rock. Very accessible yet offputting at the same time.




#15: The Flying Luttenbachers-????

It's a crying shame they are done, well Weasel is done, but yeah the Luttenbachers have retired for now and this is their last album. It's solo, so no Mick Barr, no Ed Rodriguez, no Mike Green...just plain ol' Weasel. To imagine him putting all this together by himself bewilders the shit out of me. He is like a 1 man metal King Crimson. The drumming is out of this world(which is to be expected) but he plays guitar like a virtuoso, bass, mellotron, clarinet, saxophone, and electronics. The technical degree of playing on this album is absurd, almost unthinkable. It's too bad so many people sleep on this band, it's a shame this band didnt pay his bills.




#16: Lavender Diamond-Imagine Our Love(matador)

She got Young People minus their singer to be her backing band, she has a ridiculously good voice. The music is very minimal to showcase that voice. It sounds like it could be from the 60s or 70s. This is what you should have been listening to instead of that shitty ass Feist album. It's really laid back 60s and 70s AM pop music. Lots of piano, lots of interesting percussion but still the standout is her voice. This album is the nicest album on the list.



#17: The Fiery Furnaces-Widow City(thrill jockey)

Come on, i love these guys did you really think i wouldnt put them on here? It's prog run through an indie pop filter. It's more rocking than Bitter Tea and it sounds a bit more focused. But i am not gonna say anymore because i think my vocabulary on the Fiery Furnaces has been exhausted by now. I think they are great and i dont think i will never not feel that way.





#18: Spoon-ga ga ga ga ga(merge)

After the 2 albums that came before this i hated spoon. I mean i thought they were on that shitty indie rock wave that included bands like modest mouse, arcade fire, the walkmen, of montreal, etc.... but instead of create mediocrity they decided to cut the shit and make a really fun funky rock record. The drums and vocals are what really do it for me on this album. The drum patterns are very repetitive but also extremely varied, just when you start to get bored they change up at just the right moment. His vocals are awesome, he plays with his voice very well and seems to duck in and out of each song with them playing with each melody as if he could pre conceive where it will go, highly recommended and one of the best if not the only good strictly "indie rock" record of the year.




#19: Deerhunter-Florescent grey(kranky)

Nothing too special about this ep accept for the fact that it contains 4 undeniably catchy perfect rock songs, the album is on my close calls list, but this ep cut the fat, left the well constructed songs and said thats it. It is like a perfect hybrid of shoegazer and indie rock. To me his vocals sound transcendent of all the crap hype the singer has created for himself(which by the way is total bullshit or genius depending on how you look at it, i havent made up my mind yet). This is just a really solid rock ep that everyone will find some enjoyment from.






#20: 7000 Dying Rats-Season In Hell(hewhocorupts inc)

Ah Weasel Walter, you happen to be 1 of 2 artists that are on 2 albums on this list. For this release you happen to play drums...but you also happen to drop a rap that rivals all comedy rap from here on out. This music is grindcore, metal, synth pop, electronic music, comedy rock, cock rock, and ambient soundscapes all rolled into one, albeit seperate tracks but still, the fact that this album remains consistent and flows well is amazing. the musicianship is incredible(it should be it contains members of lair of the minotaur and neurosis) and the humor is well intact, just look up the song titles on allmusic.com This is my favorite metal release of the year because they dared to take metal where it has never been before!





#21: Black Dice-Load Blown(paw tracks)

A lot of people hate his band. I can definately see it. It's annoying, extremely annoying. I felt their concert in SF when they headlined with Animal Collective and Comets on Fire because they sucked so hard. Now all this might seem like i don't like this band, but why the hell is it on the list then? It's because everytime i pop in a new Black Dice record i am amazed. Amazed at how the hell they pull these sounds out of machines that most people can buy. They happen to make some of the freshest sounding music ever, with every album, including this one. From start to finish this album introduces new shit to my ear every time i listen to it. For being new and interesting they deserve a spot on this list, even if they are annoying.




#22: Marnie Stern-In Advance of the Broken Arm(kill rock stars)

The bottom line is she is a guitar virtuoso. She hooked up with Zach Hill of Hella to record this album because she cant play the drums. She has an obsession with Sleater Kinney(thats why she signed to kill rock stars) she has a tendency to sound like hella/lightning bolt. She doesnt sound like Kaki King. She plays noise music with pop melodies and crazy guitar solos. The fact the she eschews instrumental trappings or high art intellectualism is a great thing. This is unpretentious rock music created by a musical genius who by all means should be playing in art galleries but instead she plays at the smell and the knockout and she sings! excellent shit.




#23: Grinderman-Self Titled(anti)

My reaction to Nick Cave has always been the same, "I really don't like his solo stuff aside from "From her to eternity" and i only really like his stuff with the birthday party." So with this in mind it was nice to see he basically got the Birthday Party back together and formed a new band and tried his hand for the first time ever at guitar, thus Grinderman was born. This album is raw, dirtym lewd and loud. It's everything i wanted Nick Cave to be ever since i first heard the Birthday Party, so therefore, it's on the list. Let's hope they make another one.



#24: Deerhoof-Friend Opportunity(kill rock stars)

At first i loved this album, then i hated it, then i felt luke warm about it, now i feel it deserves to be on this list. The melodies are catchy, the drums are more discordant unlike the last album(which might be better) the singing is the same as every other deerhoof release and every deerhoof album has made it on my top albums of the year lists, so i thought i would include this one too. My brother says it sounds like Enon and i kind of agree but i still really enjoy it. It's catchy, it's fun, it's Deerhoof, if you havent heard them it's about time you buy any of their albums starting with Reville.



#25: Amy Winehouse-Back To Black(universal)

She may be a drunk, she may be a cokehead, she may absolutely suck live every single time i have seen her on tv, but damn if this isn't one of the best attempts at recreating the girl group sound/blues chantueuse sound. Mick Ronson produced this acceptionally well and her voice is filled with such emotion that if you like this style of music at all you couldnt really resist the pull. Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings also does this sort of thing very well but Amy Winehouse takes the cake with this album.




GUEST LISTS!!!!!

Jordann Bradley

2007's Best Albums:

1. Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger

He cleaned up and made an amazing record. He made amazing records completely strung out too but the pop sensibility on this album is classic RA.

2. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

Johnny Marr...isn't he amazing?

3. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

Never stop making music.

4. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky

Nels Cline is a master. The 70's-melodic, rock-groove of this album made this the best listening experience of any of the afore of post-mentioned albums.

5. Rogue Wave - Asleep at Heaven's Gate

Honorable Mention:

Band of Horses - Cease to Begin

10 tracks; mellow when it needed to be and galloping when it needed to be as well. Great spin.

LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver

I only wished they were some more acidy-disco jams like "Get Innocuous". The live show is fucking raaaaaadddd.

Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris

Loved the album, I truly did but, the second half makes me miss Nick.

The White Stripes - Icky Thump

Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero

B-sides though they may have been, Reznor can produce tracks like no other.

Disappointments:

Interpol - Our Love to Admire

It's been a downhill slide since "Turn on the Bright Lights".

Smashing Pumpkins - Zeitgeist

Only coal in your stocking this year Billy Corgan.

Radiohead - In Rainbows

It was good. The free download thing was awesome but, as a full Radiohead release it just didn't do it.

Best Songs of 2007:

1. Rogue Wave - Lake Michigan

2. The National - Apartment Story

3. Queens of the Stone Age - Turnin' on the Screw

4. Arcade Fire - Keep the Car Running

5. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Some Loud Thunder

6. Modest Mouse - Invisible

7. Ryan Adams - Two

8. Wilco - Either Way

9. Burning Brides - Your Nation Will Die

10. LCD Soundsystem - Get Innocuous



Alex Wilson!!!!


top 25 not from 2007:

1. Dre Dog - I Hate You with a Passion
2. Amesoeurs - Ruines Humaines
3. Baroness - First/Second EPs
4. Atheist - Unquestionable Presence
5. Glissandro 70 - 70
6. Dead Meadow - s/t
7. Karen Dalton - In My Own Time
8. Skream - Skreamizm Vol. 1-2
9. Control Denied - Fragile Art of Existence
10. Venetian Snares - The Chocolate Wheelchair Album
11. Eric Cordier - Breizhiselad
12. Utabi - Manchurian Candy
13. Sigh - Imaginary Sonicscape
14. E-40 - In a Major Way
15. Nadja - I Have Tasted the Fire in Your Mouth
16. Jay Reatard - Blood Visions
17. Wire - 154
18. Pungent Stench - Been Caught Buttering
19. Joyless - Wisdom & Arrogance
20. Boxcutter - Oneiric
21. White Zombie - Soul Crusher
22. Hrvatski - Swarm and Dither
23. Drumcorps - Grist
24. Klimek - Listen, The Snow is Falling
25. Various Artists - We Love Katamari OST

top 25 of 2007:

1, Panda Bear - Person Pitch
2. Black Moth Super Rainbow - Dandelion Gum
3. Wolves in the Throne Room - Two Hunters
4. The Field - From Here We Go to Sublime
5. Mammatus - The Coast Explodes
6. M.I.A. - Kala
7. Greg Ashley - Painted Garden
8. Battles - Mirrored
9. Burial - Untrue
10. High on Fire - Death is This Communion
11. Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity
12. Barn Owl - Bridge to the Clouds
13. Radiohead - In Rainbows
14. Om - Pilgrimage
15. Ratatat - Remixes Vol. 2
16. Peste Noir - Folkfuck Folie
17. Marnie Stern - In Advance of the Broken Arm
18. Pig Destroyer - Phantom LImb
19. Deerhunter - Cryptograms
20. Daniel Higgs - Atomic Yggdrasil Tarot
21. The Angelic Process - Weighing Souls with Sand
22. Low - Drums and Guns
23. Weedeater - God Luck and Goodspeed
24. Axolotl - Memory Theater
25. Earth - Hibernaculum


Dan Weiss!!!!!


Top Fifteen Albums of 2007
sort of in order

Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
Panda Bear - Person Pitch
The Avett Brothers - Emotionalism
The Acorn - Glory Hope Mountain
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (this album stayed in number one for me through july or so, then I stopped feeling the need to listen to it really ever, none the less I can't say it didn't treat me well)
Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
The Bowerbirds - Hymns for a Dark Horse
Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
The National - Boxer
Shugo Tokumaru - Exit
Radiohead - In_Rainbows
MIA - Kala
Tullycraft - Every Scene Needs A Center
Andrew Bird - Armychair Apocrypha
King Khan & The Shrines - What Is?!

Top Five EPs
Tigercity - Pretend Not To Love
Los Campesinos - Sticking Fingers Into Sockets
Beirut - Lon Gisland
Deerhunter - Fluorescent Grey
Joanna Newsom - Joanna Newsom and the Ys Street Band

Top Ten Movies
there are still a few films I haven't seen that could overthrow things on this list
No Country For Old Men
Superbad
Ratatouiee
There Will Be Blood
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
Hannah Takes the Stairs
Walk Hard
Zodiac
Darjeeling Limited
Sweeney Todd

Three Concerts of Note
Jens Lekman at Bimbos
Spoon at the Treasure Island Music Festival
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone/Page France at Cafe du Nord

Top Five Books Read
Here They Come by Yannik Murphy
Stoner by John Williams
The Children's Hospital by Chris Adrian
The Cement Garden by Ian Mcewan
The Road by Cormac McCarthy



Sarah Buschman!!!!!


1. RTX-Western Exterminator


Amy Thornton!!!


1. Animal Collective-Strawberry Jam



That's It Kiddies@@@!!!

UNEARTHED TREASURES (THE TOP 25 ALBUMS NOT FROM 2007)

So here is my list of the top 25 albums not released in 2007. I am currently working on my list for 2007 and i hope you will all enjoy this list in the meantime. I highly suggest all of you go out and either download or buy these, these albums are really great and a lot of fun. I have been focusing on a lot of fun catchy music this year so i hope everyone can get a little something out of this list.

HAVE FUN!









#1: Bruce Haack-The Electric Lucifer (1970) Moog Recordings

What this is like: Well I was first introduced to this guy by Dan when he sent me a track of his robot songs and I liked it but I also didnt think too much of it. Then my brother told me I should pick this up because it was ridiculous. I did and I was impressed. The opening track is worth the 20 dollar price tag alone. This guy was doing ridiculous electronic pop way before anyone else. Rather than use the newly invented Moog for soundscapes or ambient soundtrack like music he decided to make childlike pop music and he ended up creating one of the great lost psychedelic masterpieces I have ever heard. You need to own this!









#2 and 3: Exuma 1 and 2 (both from 1970)

What this is like: Combine Dr. John, Tom Waits, Animal Collective, Fela Kuti, and Richie Havens all together and throw in Zombie Voodoo imagery and you get Exuma. I bought this on a whim because i remembered the cover from somewhere. Amoeba had it for some reason in the misc E section for cheap so i picked them up and they blew me away. Highly recommended for everyone.







#4: The Wipers-Box Set (1980-1986)

What this is like: Ok so the picture i put up is actually the cover to the first disc in this box set "Is This Real?" from 1980 and that album is the best on the box set which includes their first 3 albums. The first disc and first album from them sounds like the perfect mix of 70s style punk with vocals that sound like the Cars' Ric Okasek and the lead singer of Op Ivy. The second disc and second album "Youth Of America" is much longer with less tracks so all the songs are about 7 minutes long as opposed to nice little 2 to 3 minute bursts of pop punk of the first album, this album has way more in common with Flipper than anything else. The 3rd disc is "The Edge" and it is like a combination of the first 2 albums, This band is also basically one guy, Greg Sage and he is a legend if you know him.







#5: Giorgio Moroder-From Here To Eternity (1977)

What this is like: FUCK LCD SOUNDSYSTEM! if i want poppy electro disco i will go all the way back to 1977 when this guy infused disco beats with house beats and pop hooks and created the first form of what James Murphy has now ruined for a new generation of hipsters, this is the real deal. Buy this instead of wasting your money on Sound Of Silver because this is the sound of gold.







#6: Kate Bush-The Dreaming (1982 EMI)

What this is like: This is my favorite Kate Bush album and her weirdest sonically. She stretched herself very far with this album, employing all manner of musical influences and kind of inventing a weird form of industrial music at the same time. This album is kind of hard to explain, it's kind of like Tori Amos on acid with excellent music and lyrics to back her up, a little like Siouxsie also.







#7: The Beach Boys-Smiley Smile (1967 Capitol)

What this is like: This is the weirdest Beach Boys album. Released after Brian Wilson went nuts trying to make his masterpiece followup to Pet Sounds. This is almost like a demos collection of some leftover Smile tracks with a few stoner songs done on the fly with the rest of the band. This album uses chipmonk sounding vocals on some songs, has one song making fun of a girl who is losing her hair, a song about retiring and living in a shack on the beach in Hawaii, and it has the original version of Vegetables!. This is awesome.







#8: Dr. Dooom-First Come, First Served (1999 Funky Ass Records)

What this is like: This is classic Kool Keith doing his attempt at Horrorcore, a small little genre started by Rza in 1994 with the Gravediggaz. In this album's first track he kills of the one thing that brought him fame, Dr. Octagon and from there on in it's a ridiculous ride through murder, serial killers, and all other things that make up cheesy b horror movies. The production is retardedly excellent and any of these songs should have skyrocketed him to superstardom in a just world, but then again we dont live in a just world so this one is left to the dollar bins in some good stores.







#9: Malcolm Mclaren-Duck Rock (1982 Virgin)

What this is like: Ok so i had wanted to hear this for years and i finally got my hands on it this year and it completely blew me away. For those who dont know who this is, this guy was the manager of the Sex Pistols. They hate him, punks hate him, pretty much everyone in the music world hated him for being a manipulative asshole, but in 1982 he released this album and from what i understand for about a year or 2 everyone let him slide for being a douche because of this album. He was still manipulative (he stole african music from africans to make it pop before paul simon did, he stole hip hop before it got huge to amalgate into underground rock to form some sort of fucked up new music.) He pissed all over country music on the last track and completely influenced the rock world to look outside themselves way back in the early 80s. This is by far one of the weirdest albums i have ever heard.







#10: Slapp Happy-Acnalbasac Noom (1974)

What this is like: Loungy female led band who veer off into proggy time signatures with very obscure lyrics about death and dying and weird pulp fictionesque stories. Her backing band is Faust on this album. They were part of the Rock In Opposition movement by association and i can see why, in 1974 this would be completely unmarketable. It sounded musically like something a grandma would listen to but lyrically what someone into the avant garde would listen to. Highly recommended if you like fucked up pop music.







#11: Lubricated Goat-Psychedelicatessen(1989-Amphetamine Reptile)

What this is like: These guys were from Austrailia and their shit is damn near impossible to find due to weird label confusion( this one was co-released on 3 different labels) they played loud weird rock with excursions into free jazz, funk, and noise. They sound like the Birthday Party mixed with the Stooges mixed with the Cows mixed with the Jesus Lizard. In the middle of the album they even take the time to give the listener a 4 minute Art Of Noise inspired sound collage.







#12: Aksak Maboul-Onze Danses pour Combattre la Migraine (1977)

What this is like: This might be the most original album on this list. In 1977 they were taking what Kraftwerk hinted at and combined it with even deeper experimentation into the sounds of world music at the time and modern classical compisition. Some people have described this as sounding like Boards Of Canada, others have said Aphex Twin. I think it sounds like a bunch of stuff that i cant remember right now. It is very accessible, very playful and way the fuck ahead of its time.








#13: Public Image Limited-The Flowers Of Romance (1980 Virgin)

What this is like: Imagine if the Liars were even more minimal than "Drum's Not Dead" and their vocalist was influenced by gibberish inspired middle eastern chanting and you come somewhat close to describing this album. Throw in a lot of post punk influences like funky bass and sharp guitar lines and you have one of the best post-punk albums i have ever heard. After hearing this i can't believe it is the same dude from the Sex Pistols.







#14: The Cows-Cunning Stunts (1991 Amphetamine Reptile)

What this is like: Kind of hard and easy to describe at the same time. On the base level it's just your average dirty rock band like the Stooges or Birthday party. They have a trumpet also so that's a bit different, then they have a lunatic lead singer who spouts angry diatribe at the listener. The album has a bit of a country swagger as well and opens with a slapping sound and a baby crying, what more can you want from one of the most ridiculous 90s rock bands.









#15: Frank Zappa-Over Nite Sensation (1973) Apostrophe (1974)

What this is like: The best jazzy funk rock i have ever heard with a huge sense of humor. This is very Frank Zappaish so if you like him you will like this. It's very goofy and playful and even some bits of it remind me oddly enough of Comets On Fire. The musicianship on these two albums is impeccable. If you can find the 2 albums on one cd for cheap grab it, if not by the remastered ones seperately for cheap.







#16: Strapping Young Lad-City (1997 century media)

What this is like: Every other Stapping Young Lad album, which means super fast, bordering on Grindcore metal. Everything about this album is loud fast and intense. If you like metal you will like this album, if you dont you wont.







#17: Cosmic Eye-Dream Sequence (1972 ???)

What this is like: Like a more laid back Miles Davis or Amon Tobin 30 years before it's time. It downtempo yet very experimental jazz with a lot of middle eastern influences. Very chill yet at times very intense, i really dont know how easy it is to find this album because it isnt listed a lot of places but it is worth seeking out if you like jazzy electronic music(which it is not) or something like "On the Corner" or "Bitches Brew" with the intensity turned down a bit.







#18: Stevie Wonder-Songs In the Key of Life (1976 motown records)

What this is like: Well a few years back i bought Innervisions which is supposed to be one of his best albums and aside from a few tracks it kind of fell short of all the attention, but while i had that one something told me this(his other "masterpiece") was better, i just didnt have the cash to buy the double album reissue at the time. Then jump to 2007 and i found a copy of this on vinyl for a couple bucks at good will and bought it and loved it. It's funk and soul and r n b and jazzy and rock n roll at times. Very eclectic but all very Stevie Wonder sounding. To me the best tracks are "Village Ghetto Land" and "Sir Duke" Get this if you have any inkling toward soul music at all it is a must have.








#19: Gang Starr-Daily Operation (1992 Chrysalis)

What this is like: Kind of reminds me of De La Soul or Blackalicious but less optimistic and bouncy then both, it has a very chilled out mood throughout, the lyrics are mostly the standout but the production is very minimalist in it's approach and quite interesting when you focus on it. There isn't much in the way of choruses since each song basically has a stream of conscience delivery. Very excellent hip hop from the early 90s, somewhat political but not overweighted with it.








#20: Tall Dwarfs-Hello Cruel World (1985 Flying Nun records)

What this is like: Well this is Chris Knox's most famous band, he formed this one with his best friend after Toy Love(which almost made this list) disbanded. The sound is lo fi experimentation not unlike Sebadoh mixed with the first Neutral Milk Hotel album. The music is weird mostly and also very melodic, kind of like ween in parts, pretty goofy throughout. If you like experimental indie pop in the vein of the microphones, ween, neutral milk hotel and Sebadoh then you should check it out.







#21: Napalm Death-Scum (1987)

What this is like: This is argueably the first grindcore album, almost every song sounds the same, the lyrics are very anarchistic. The album is short, most songs dont reach the 2 minute march, it's intense yet fun crazy grindcore, if you like the locust and orchid and all those grindcore bands this is where to start.







#22: The Traveling Wilburys-The Complete Collection (originally released 1988/1990)

What this is like: This is the 80s super group of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, and Roy Orbison. It is pretty much just basic 50s influenced rock that at times sounds like jangle pop in the same vein as Marshall Crenshaw, some of the songs get very goofy and the feel is very carefree on these 2 albums.







#23: Lene Lovich-Flex...Plus (1980 Rhino Records)

What this is like: Imagine a trippier Kate Bush doing post punk/new wave, that's what it sounds like. She has an excellent high pitched voice and the instrumentation is very eclectic, might be a little goth sounding to some, she also recalls Siouxsie quite a bit but not as dark, very recommended.







#24 Rollerskate Skinny-Horsedrawn Wishes (1996 Warner Bros)

What this is like: In one word, Shoegazer. In more words, kind of like a more experimental catchier My Bloody Valentine crossed with The Stone Roses and i like this more than both of those bands, apparently Kevin Sheilds'(leader of my bloody valentine)brother was in this band but i dont think this album. There isn't too much to say about this album other than it is one of those lost 90s rock albums that people should look into and its very dense.







#25: The Jody Grind-One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Treasure (1990 DB records)

What this is like: very similar to Neko Case, a little bit of older sounding country torch songs, some vocal jazz style stuff in the vein of Nina Simone or Ella Fitzgerald, some more upbeat numbers that sound straight out of Neko Case's Blacklisted, in fact this album sounds almost exactly the same as Blacklisted except this came out in 1990 Blacklisted came out in 2002, so in a way this album completely cheapens anything Neko Case has done, kind of.